Tuesday in the 319

I dropped off my loaded trailer at the Target distribution center in Cedar Falls, Iowa last night, then took an empty trailer down to the Flying J truck stop in Evansdale, Iowa. I made sure that my cousin, Evan, knew I was staying in a town that honored his name. Ha ha.
  My partner was out of driving hours for the 8-day period, and my "recap" hours were getting mighty low as well. This surprised me, since we have been delayed at shippers and consignees so often in recent days. So, we sent our company a series of messages, explaining that we were not going to be available on Tuesday. They were fine with this, since they will be able to assign us to urgent, fast-moving loads after our hours were reset.
  Although it was my co-driver's turn to get reimbursed for a motel, he chose to spend his 12-hour, midnight to noon shift in the truckstop TV room. I slept, undisturbed, in the truck until about 9am.
  Being my day off, I deserved a good restaurant meal. I had been living on oatmeal and sardines the past few days, and needed a change. My options weren't looking good. The Flying J's restaurant was closed for renovations, the Arby's across the street wasn't open yet, and the McDonald's was swarming with construction workers, so they must be closed, right? No! (Yay!) Yard-sale type signs around the yard advertised that they were still open during construction. This was good news for me. I was really wanting a McDonald's breakfast, and that's exactly what I got, after I navigated myself through the scaffolding and equipment. My Egg McMuffin meal was everything I had expected - so delicious.

  I figured my co-driver might be tired of the TV room, and I was fully awake and ready to vacate the truck. Since he didn't take advantage of a reimbursable motel room, I might as well partake for myself. There isn't much to do around here. I walked around a while, and talked to the front desk clerk awhile. If there was anything worthwhile to walk to within a mile, I'd go for a hike. But, the outdoor, pedestrian options are nonexistent here. So, here I am; blogging away on a busted laptop while watching Discovery Channel. Life isn't too bad.
  "319" is the area code for this area of Iowa - also the area code I use for my cell phone. It confuses people who know that I live in Missouri. Their confusion amuses me. Since my friends and family are so spread out across the country, it doesn't matter which area code I use.